Chainsaw Advice

[Deleted member 4605]

Getting sick of borrowing friends and relatives chainsaws for doing odd jobs, so it's time to look at getting one of my own.

Main use will sawing up felled wood for firewood, pruning and light-to-medium felling (basically normal domestic chainsaw duties).

Absolutely must be petrol, but apart from that I have no idea what to go for, or what a good price is.

Any recommendations for around £70 to £100?

 

[Drongo]

I got a McCullough 42cc one from Homebase

Was originally £200, I got it reduced to £40 in the sale, ex-display and missing the socket for removing the bar and the chain cover (I had both these at home from my old saw)...

Super deal, brilliant light and powerful saw for occasional work... It's a 16"bar (I think) but I have with care, cut trees almost twice the bar length..

Supplied with a low kickback chain which is a little soft and needs resharpened more regular than my old saw, but I can live with that for the price till it wears out and I replace the chain...

All that was left of my last woodpile, I'm glad we got the central heating oil leak fixed...

 

[Buckshot]

I have the baby Styil (sp) - the 170
Was just over your limit at £120, special offer in Countrywide.

The engine is a little small but if you take your time it will go through thick stuff - I've cut felled tree trunks up to about 25 - 30 inchs diameter with my 14inch blade. Just takes a little longer than a bigger heavy saw - not that much longer though.
And for the sort of stuff you're after something smaller is probably the way to go.

On the course I went on there was a chap who brought with him a huge Husky saw. cut anything like a hot knife through butter but unless you used it often (and were used to it) it got too heavy after half an hour or so - and therefore dangerous

Mark

 

[robin wood]

Three pieces of advice.

One get some training, I would recomend doing a proper course but the bare minimum is to get someone who really knows what they are doing to spend a little time with you. If you do not fully understand kickback and which part of the saw is likely to cause it do not pick a saw up.

Two always wear safety trousers, boots and helmet with visor and ear muffs. I have an old crappy pair of each (size 9 and 32 waist) which would be free to a good home if anyone wants them.

Three if you know what you are doing I like a big engine and small bar. Most amateurs buy a small engine with a long bar thinking that an 18" saw looks big and powerful. It means chains are more expensive, it takes longer to sharpen and there is more drag. A 12" bar can fell and cut up an 18" tree with ease, costs less, cuts faster and is easier to sharpen. Having said that smaller bars and bigger engines create more kickback danger.

As fo models I only ever use professional models from Stihl and Husqvarna but they will be well outside the budget unless you are lucky second hand.

 

[bigbear]

I second whole heartedly the advice re safety gear- just dont risk it without.
I like Stihl, am on my second one, smallest model with a 12" bar will cut down and cut up pretty much anything I need.
Sharpen the chain often, turn the bar when you do it so it wears evenly.
Take care !

 

[Spaniel man]

Well said Robin, that is very sound advise, chainsaws are awesome tools in safe hands, but can be lethal if not treated with respect. At the very least, get a good helmet if you are just cutting logs, but cut resistant gloves, boots, and trousers if you are cutting in the woods.
And have someone else around, or at least someone to check on you periodically.

 

[Aaron]

You will find it quite difficult to get a decent petrol chainsaw with a budget of around £70-100. I would reckon that your best option is to ask around garden machinery repair business for a reconditioned or secondhand one - stihl and huqvarna are good but some of the lesser known makes such as echo, makita or jonsared are still worth looking at. Some are available on ebay, but you dont really know what you are getting unless you can arrange to view them first.

If you ask the seller nicely or give them a bit of extra cash they might also show you how to sharpen it and cross-cut safely, I agree with Robin that proper training is important but even a cross cutting and maintenance course will set you back way over your budget. If you keep it sharp and the air filter clean if will be much more efficient, easier to use and the engine will last longer.

 

[SOAR]

Trainning is so important for your safety, I use saws everyday and it takes a long time for someone to be competent with a saw but if you do a basic chainsaw course you will have a recognised qualification and you will know to look after and maintain a saw, know its dangers and limits and how to fell a tree the correct way, you will learn the cuts to use if the tree is leaning and you will be safe. Protective clothing is very important http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=724815&name=chainsaw&user_search=1&sfile=1&jump=44you need boots and trousers type c are what you need really, these have the protective wadding all the way round the leg, helmets are a must I've seen chains fly off saws before and without face and head protection on doesn't bear thinking about, If you look around you can get all this kit from lots of places it can be very expensive but it only takes a second to have a very nasty cut.

Really if you are looking for a saw I'd go for Sthil, http://www.stihl.co.uk/ if it packs up you can get the parts for them you will struggle to get parts for the cheaper brands. and stihls run for a long time if looked after your course will show you how. If you will be using it for cutting fire wood you really need to cut the wood off the ground to protect your chain and kick back so you might want to look at getting a cutting stand that holds the wood you are cutting.http://www.bizrate.co.uk/powertools/oid563191033.html

 

[Mikey P]

I second nearly all of this advice. Do your NPTC CS30 and 31 units for maintenance/small & medium felling and buy the safety kit (including helmet with visor and ear muffs) before you buy the saw (that way, you're not tempted to use the saw without trousers/boots/gloves/helmet).

I'm CS 30/31/38/39, chipper and grinder qualified (hopefully unit 41 soon, too) climber arborist and, having done the courses, I would argue that anyone who has not done at least CS30/31 (or equivalents) shouldn't even start a saw, let alone try and use one. The internet is awash with pictures and videos of those who have done themselves serious damage. A chainsaw chain travels at over 20 feet per second - the damage happens before you have time to react.

I would also fully support the idea that you are better off with a bar length matched to the engine. Unless you are a tree surgeon or forester, you don't need anything longer than 15-16 inches. I'm a Husqvarna man (not as bomb proof as Stihls but rev faster and better balance, in my opinion) but anything from Stihl or Husqvarna should be easy to get parts for. Finally, get a low kick-back, semi-chipper chain, and look after your saw properly (pre-use checks, sharpen chain, etc).

It all sounds expensive and, yes, it is. There's a reason for that: you get what you pay for with chainsaws, and they are incredibly dangerous bits of kit so you MUST have the safety gear.

 

[Dave Budd]

I went for a husqvarna, it's bigger and more expensive than you seem to be after, but for me it does the job.

I went for husky over Stihl because I was on a limited budget and as Robin says, they are teh two best brands and the more power you have teh more you can do. Husky is a lot cheaper than stihl and depending who you talk to just as good (there is no sitting on the fence, people love one or the other it seems)

The best deals I found were from this company. no connections, blah blah, just good customer service and deal

 

[pentrekeeper]

I have a Sthil 230, it had an 18" blade in the dealers and I offered to buy it if the dealer changed the blade and chain to 12" - he did and I bought it. I have had it a few years now and I think it cost about £240 but it is a good saw and does everything I need it to in the woods.
Personally a chain saw is not a tool I would want to scrimp on over cost, as has been stated already they are potentially very dangerous and as such you should be striving for a make that the proffesionals rely on, ie sthil or huskvana.
I am ashamed to say that I have had no formal training, but read up on the use, and the manual that came with the saw was full of good advice. I started of just cross cutting logs and as my confidence grew and my needs took on more challenging work.
Some of the most dangerous work I've undertaken is to remove the top of an oak tree that the high winds partly broke off so the branches were stuck in the ground and yet it was still attached up the tree. I had to think long and hard how to remove this safely.
I have felled trees and even managed a plunge cut on one large tree that had to be felled.
As with most tools technique is important but a very generous helping of good old common sense and awareness of the risks are also requirements especially with a tool like this.
My advice would be to save up a little longer and extend your budget.
Best of luck - and stay safe.

 

[pentrekeeper]

Oops almost forgot one more piece of advice - NEVER let the moving blade make contact with the ground. The result is grit sticks to the sticky chain oil and gets into the link joints and you will never again be able to keep the blade tensioned. It wears the chain joints out and also the blade groove. A loose chain makes the tool more dangerous that it already is.
I learnt this the hard way but having only a 12" blade was not too costly to renew the parts, at that time the chain was about a £1 per inch, anyway chain and blade cost me £40.

 

[Rebel]

I agree with what has been said. You aren't going to get a chainsaw worth having within your limited budget.

The cheapest decent saw is probably the STIHL MS170 at around 170 quid. Like the others said scrimping on quality is a bad idea. Chainsaws need maintenance too so you need to be able to get replacement parts when things go wrong.

Taking at a course that trains you to at least CS30 (maintenance and cross-cutting) level is really a good idea. I've done the basic courses and what I learned was well worth the time and money.

There are also some good (and terrible) training videos on youtube.

Here's a link to a good one.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rSHasHETzbw&NR=1
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj1d85CLDOQ&feature=channel_page

 

[Deleted member 4605]

Thanks for all the advice.

I've been having a looking around based on some of the comments, and I'll guess I was definitely being optimistic with budget, so I'll wait a bit longer and double or treble it, then add on a chunk more for training (I've had some in the past, but not a dedicated course) and safety equipment.

I've had a look at the local agricultural college (Newton Rigg), and they do a combined CS30 + CS31 course over five days for £450 tuition + £217 exam fees. Ouch, but probably worth it.

 

[Peter_t]

just remember it doesnt matter how much protective equipment your wearing you are not invinsable!! many people get into a false sence of security, chainsaw trousers, boots etc are cut resistant not cut proof!
also imo a five day corse does not make you compitant useing a chainsaw wheather you pass your nptc tests or not.


pete

 

[Deleted member 4605]

just remember it doesnt matter how much protective equipment your wearing you are not invinsable!! many people get into a false sence of security, chainsaw trousers, boots etc are cut resistant not cut proof!

Oh I'm well aware of my own mortality!

also imo a five day corse does not make you compitant useing a chainsaw wheather you pass your nptc tests or not.

No it doesn't, you're quite right. Fortunately I have a fair amount of experience (of using, not selecting ) already, I just think getting some certificates to go with it will be worthwhile.

 

[Mikey P]

also imo a five day corse does not make you compitant useing a chainsaw wheather you pass your nptc tests or not.


pete

Correct but it gives you a structured training course with all of the basics on how to maintain your saw and cut safely. Plus, if you do anything that leads to a 3rd party insurance claim, at least you can prove you've had training.

It's like learning to drive; you prove you are competent at a basic level by passing your test ... and then you start learning!

 

[Mikey P]

I went for a husqvarna, it's bigger and more expensive than you seem to be after, but for me it does the job.

I went for husky over Stihl because I was on a limited budget and as Robin says, they are teh two best brands and the more power you have teh more you can do. Husky is a lot cheaper than stihl and depending who you talk to just as good (there is no sitting on the fence, people love one or the other it seems)

The best deals I found were from this company. no connections, blah blah, just good customer service and deal

Dave,

The equivalent Husky and Stihls are around the same price: my pro Husky 346XP is about the same cost as the nearest Stihl pro equivalent, ie, about 420 quid . Unfortunately, that means all of the good saws are blinkin' expensive!

It's like the Gerber/Leatherman debate - people tend to stick with one brand only. Having said that, Huskys seem to be preferred for forestry and Stihls for tree surgeons (especially the little MS200 - awesome and very light). Nevertheless, I've hauled my Husky round tree canopies and it's been fine. Keeps you fit, anyway...

 

[Peter_t]

we have the new edition 346xp at work (the 50cc vertion), its a beast imo it beets the stihl ms260 hands down!

pete

 

[happybonzo]

Slightly off topic but still chainsaw related: Something that really grips me is this business of certificates.
I have been using chainsaws for at least 30 years if not more, come to think of it.
In my own woods I can use the saw but if I go to some one else's woods then I am required to have a certificate.
To do each section of the course is around £300 or more. So cross-cutting £300 Felling £300 Limbing £300 Thank you very much etc
I haven't got that sort of money so if anyone has any bright ideas about how to get a ticket please add to this
I use Echo, Husky, Stihl and Jonsereds. I would add that I don't think that some of the new Stihl saws are as good as they used to be